Sign.



J. HOTCHNER.

SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.16, 1911.

1.007,029. Patented 0012 11911.

WITNESSES INVENTOR 2% JOSEPH-H OTCHNEIQ ATTY' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH HOTCHNER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SIGN.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH Ho'roHNnn, a' citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Sign, of which the following is a specification in such full and clear terms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to an electric sign and its object is to produce a detachable letter which will be readily secured to the sign body and which will be readily packaged for shipment, the letter having no projecting parts other than the reflectors carried thereby.

A further object of the invention is to produce means for securing the letter to the sign body with the least possible efiort and material; the hook for securing the letter to the sign body being punched out of the same piece of metal which is placed between the two parts of the lamp socket.

In the drawings in which the same numeral of reference is applied to the same portion throughout the several views, Figure l is a perspective view of a letter constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the letter securing hooks in place against the sign body. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the sign body and one socket showing the letter securing hook in place. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the sign body showing the letter securing hook in place and illustrating the manner of securing the detachable letter thereto, and Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a portion of one letter showing the hole therethrough for the lamp and showing the hook in place.

The numeral 1 represents the sign body, said sign body having a plurality of openings therethrough in which are secured two piece sockets 2 for the insertion of the lamps. The sockets 2 are constructed in a well known manner and have one portion 3 on the back of the sign body 1, and another portion in front thereof between which and the sign body is inserted the letter supporting hook 4. The letter supporting hook has a U shaped opening therein forming depending legs 5, and it has a forwardly projecting portion 6 with an upturned hook 7 The forwardly projecting portion 6 of the hook serves to space the letter away from the sign body to give a Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 16, 1911.

Patented Oct. 2 1, 1911.

Serial No. 603,027.

1 well known shaded effect. The letter supporting hook must have considerable surface in contact with the sign body in order to properly steady the letters from any side movement, and the sides of the forwardly projecting portion 6 of the hook serve to space the letter away from the sign body and to prevent any side movement of said letters as would be liable to occur if the hook was quite narrow.

The letters may be in any desired form; for example, the letter E shown in the having openings therethrough for the insertion of the lamps and at the sides and upper edges of the lamps, there may be placed reflectors 9 to improve the light effect upon the sign as a whole.

It will be understood that while the term letters is used herein, this term is to be construed broadly, as coverin' characters, numerals and letters, any of w ich may be secured to the sign body as the letter shown herein.

The hook plates are used as often as may be deemed necessary; for example, in the letters shown there is a notch 10 in which the hook 7 is inserted at five places, two on the upper stroke of the letter and one on the center stroke and two on the bottom.

It will be observed that this hook acco1nplishes two objects, that is, it forms the means whereby the letter is suspended from the sign body, and its shoulders 11 form the means whereby the letter is held away from the sign body a fixed distance.

The numeral 12 illustrates the lamps.

Having thus described my invent-ion what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-- ters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. In a sign, the combination of a sign body having a plurality of sockets secured thereto, a. plurality of hooks det-achably supported adjacent said sign body by said sockets, a character supported by said hooks a short distance away from saidsign body, and means to illuminate said character, substantially as described.

2. In a sign, a sign body having a plurality of lamp sockets therein, hooks supported by said lamp sockets, and comprising a plate inserted between one portion of the lamp socket and the sign body and having means to space a character away from the sign body and to support the same, a

drawing which comprises a back plate E character supported upon said hooks, and electric lamps in said sockets to illuminate said character, substantially as described.

3. In an electric sign, a. sign body, sockets for electric lamps secured to said body, a character provided with openings, clips secured to the sign body and passing through said openings in said character, and lamps passing through the same openings and screwed into said sockets, as set forth.

l. In an electric sign, a sign body, sockets in said sign body, a character provided with openings, clips secured to said sign body and having a considerable portion of the edges thereof in contact with the back of the character and a smaller portion thereof passing through said openings in the character, and lamps passing through the same openings and screwed into the sockets to illuminate the character, as set forth.

5. In a sign, a sign body, hooks secured to said sign body, each of said hooks comprising a plate having one portion thereof lying in a plane parallel to the sign body, another portion extending outwardly therefrom, and a narrower up-turned portion in a plane substantially parallel to the face of the sign body, said narrow portion lying near the center of the outwardly extending portion of said plate, a character detachably supported by said narrow portion of the plate and abutting against the outwardly projecting edge thereof, and electric lamps to illuminate said character, substantially as described.

6. In an electric sign, a sign body, sockets in said sign body, a character provided with openings, clips secured to said sign body and having a considerable portion of the edges thereof in contact with the back of the character and a smaller portion thereof passing through said openings in the character, and lamps screwed into the sockets in the sign body to illuminate the character, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of December A. D. 1910, in the presence of the two subscribed witnesses.

JOSEPH HOTGHNER.

W'itnesses:

C. P. GRIFFIN, L. H. ANDnRsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

